GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The 23-acre medical facility planned for the Northeast Side is more than just a bigger, newer doctor’s office, says the president of Spectrum Health Medical Group.

It represents a new approach to medicine, one that eliminates walls – literally – that divide specialists and unites them under one roof, providing more opportunities for communication and collaboration.

“Most doctors don’t come out of medical school imbued with that sense of collaboration and teamwork,” said Dr. James Tucci, a neurologist who leads the medical group. “We’re pretty much taught to work as autonomous entities.”

But he said research has shown that a group practice encompassing a range of specialties can improve patient care.

Spectrum Health is seeking approval from the Grand Rapids Township Planning Commission for a 49,000-square foot facility at the southeast corner of the East Beltline NE and Three Mile Road. The building is designed to consolidate six practices that are now in other East Beltline locations.

Dr. James Tucci

Initially, 28 physicians and 11 nurse practitioners and physician assistants will work there. The total number is expected to grow to 80 by 2016, Tucci said. The specialties include family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics and neurology. The plan calls for bringing in gastroenterologists and cardiologists, as well.

Instead of having separate offices, the physicians will have stations on the periphery of a bank of exam and conference rooms, where they will meet with patients and their families.

That proximity helps create an effective team, Tucci said, making it easier for physicians to consult each other on cases and to refer patients for specialized care.

“You can look right down the length of the floor and see who else is there when you’re there,” Tucci said.

Already, he said the neurologists in the group take turns carrying a phone that other physicians may call for consultation. For example, if a primary care doctor is treating a patient for headaches and the treatment is not working, the doctor can easily talk to a neurologist about what to do next.

“My answer might be ‘The latest literature in neurology says this is the next thing to do for headaches,’” Tucci said. “Or I might say ‘That sounds worrisome; let me see your patient as soon as possible.’”

With the specialists in the same office, a neurologist might be available to see him right then.

The idea behind a combined group practice is to structure incentives so physicians aren’t restricted to rigid consultation visits, Tucci said. And it requires a commitment to research and teaching from the physicians involved.

“Even when we are not being paid for a billable event, we are constantly learning from each other and teaching each other,” he said.

The cross-communication of specialties is a hallmark of the Mayo Clinic, where he trained, Tucci said.

“I really fell in love with this idea of the potential of a group practice to create a unique experience of care for patients and optimal outcomes, he said. “When we come together, in many ways we give up some of our personal autonomy and personal agendas in order to create a more unified and connected approach to the care of patients.”

For patients, the change will be visible when they enter the office. There will be one check-in area, and signs will indicate the different specialty areas, the lab and radiology.

If the township approves an amendment for the planned unit development for the land, the medical group plans to open the clinic in 2014. The Spectrum Health urgent care center at East Beltline NE and Plainfield Avenue will likely be moved to the new location in 2016.

The facility probably would be expanded to 91,000 square feet by 2016, Tucci said.

“It’s not about getting a monopoly or protecting market share for the hospital,” he said. “In fact, it’s really about this experience of care and really having accepted standards of care throughout the group that are based on the latest science.”